Flowable composite as fissure sealing material? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate fissure sealant retention in clinical studies in which investigators used flowable composites as pit and fissure sealants compared with conventional resin-based pit and fissure sealants.Data sources and data selection The authors conducted a literature search (all articles published until April 13, 2017) to identify studies for inclusion in this systematic review. They assessed the quality of the evidence provided by using the modified Jadad scale and performed meta-analyses by using a random-effects model.Data extraction and data synthesis The authors found 11 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review and nine studies that could be used for the meta-analysis. Of the 11 studies identified in the systematic review, four scored as having a low risk of bias, and seven scored as having a medium risk of bias. Our meta-analysis showed a significant positive effect of using flowable composites as a fissure sealant material (odds ratio, 2.387 [95% CI, 1.047, 5.444; P = 0.039]).Conclusion It seems that the use of flowable composite as a fissure sealing material can slightly increase the retention rate of sealants compared with conventional resin-based sealants.